The Prize

by Vanessa Fewings

  “Wanna do it again?” he said.

  “Yes, yes, I do.”

  He threw his head back in a laugh and we ran into the foyer, up the stairs, headed for the loft window and edged back onto the roof. This time Tobias went first.

  I never knew there was this side to me that had lain dormant all this time. Hanging out in art galleries and snuggled in libraries didn’t exactly inspire anyone to see me as heroic. Yet Tobias did and the way he looked at me now with pride in his gaze stirred my own. I beamed back at him, grateful to have at least tried it. These kinds of moments with him certainly weren’t boring.

  We descended five more times like this and the last three times I abseiled on my own.

  I rewarded my bravery with a long hot shower and afterward went downstairs to see about fixing us breakfast.

  Sitting at the granite countertop sipping tea and watching the sunrise out of the bay window, I smiled when I thought that Tobias had probably gone back to bed.

  The memories of the last few days came flooding back and I froze with the realization that all that had happened had literally stunned me into compliance. That vision of Tobias leaping off the tall building shook me to the core. I’d found the courage to abseil down the wall and this felt like a breakthrough—

  Sitting here, drinking tea and waiting for Tobias to take the lead wouldn’t do. I had to take my power back. I had to get into his workshop and see what he was really doing in there. Surely I was his biggest threat and maybe this was his way of controlling me and distracting me from what was really going on.

  I set my mug in the sink and hurried toward the man cave. I tapped the corner of the secret painting and felt the frame release from the wall. Easing my fingers around the back I pulled. I was in. I didn’t know how much time I’d have or if Tobias would come looking for me.

  It was no surprise his five computers needed a code to access them when I tried to get in to them. I concentrated instead on studying his hardware while trying to piece together what I could from his equipment. I searched for alternative motives for us being here or any hint a theft might be going down in New York, care of Icon.

  To the left of the main area was a hallway and at the end was a large chrome door. I pressed my palm to the side on the panel but it didn’t open. Ready to head back the way I’d come I turned—

  Tobias was standing at the other end of the hallway staring at me with his hands shoved inside his pockets. “Zara?”

  “I was just taking a look around.” Damn my honesty.

  “I can see that.” He strolled toward me, with that long stride exuding power, and closed the gap between us and towered over me.

  Gone were his black sports clothes he’d worn for climbing and instead he’d changed into his casually ripped jeans and a black T-shirt with TechRule’s logo styled with bold sweeps. He scraped his fingers through his already perfectly styled hair as though thinking through how to handle this; handle me.

  A waft of his heady cologne hit the spot and I tried to guard against the impending effect of swooning at this early morning vision of danger camouflaged as beauty.

  And I was alone in a big old manor with him.

  “What did I say to you when you first arrived here?” he said.

  “That I could leave?”

  “I also reassured you my casa is your casa.” He stretched out his hands. “So this look of guilt on your face doesn’t need to stay.”

  “What’s in there?” I pointed to the chrome door behind me.

  He kept his stare on mine. “Supplies.”

  I assumed he meant for when he was acting as Icon and breaking into homes to steal back paintings. I felt like I’d woken up from a nightmare of my own making. I went to walk past him and he pressed a hand to my chest and nudged me back against the wall.

  “Did the climb scare you?” He trapped me between his arms as he rested his hands either side of me.

  “At first.”

  “How do you feel now?”

  I could see in his gaze he knew he’d awoken something within me and perhaps he regretted that jaunt down the wall.

  “I feel braver,” I admitted.

  “Well, that’s good, right?”

  My senses sharpened as I tried to read sincerity in his voice.

  We both knew he needed me if he was going to create this other Mona Lisa. After all, if anyone could guide him right on what the specialists would be looking for it would be me.

  “I’m here for you.” He brushed a strand of hair out of my face.

  “I appreciate that.”

  “Zara, what’s wrong?”

  “I feel like you’re keeping something from me.”

  “Like what?”

  “I want full disclosure on everything. No more keeping anything from me.”

  “I’m not keeping anything from you.” He stepped back. “Why do you think that?”

  “I want to know what you’re doing in here.”

  “I’ve been open about all of it—” He pointed across the room. “Over there the three-dimensional printer is waiting for me to extract chemical components to create our bait.”

  “And where will you find these samples?”

  “Tomorrow I have an appointment with a sixteenth-century specialist.”

  “I’ll come with you.”

  “If you like.”

  “Show me how you break into homes.” I folded my arms.

  He leaned in and whispered, “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.” My body shuddered against the pressure of his chest pressing mine, and if he kissed me I’d bite his lip.

  “You want in on Icon’s methods?” His mouth brushed my earlobe.

  “For all the right reasons,” I managed.

  “And what might those be?”

  “In case I need to use them.” It was a bad lie but he seemed to mull it over.

  He stepped away and stared down the hallway. “I promised you full access to this house and also full access to me. I want you to feel safe. I need to build your trust. So, if this is what you need to see, then fine.”

  “Fine?”

  “Let’s simulate.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

  I swallowed hard and gave a nod. “What are you going to do?”

  “Lock up the house and break into it. How does that sound?”

  Boom... I’d just gotten Icon to reveal his methods.

  Yes, that climb this morning had actually delivered a good outcome. This was the kind of evidence I should be going after. He could focus on his stupid painting that he’d never be able to replicate. I mean, we were talking about a sixteenth-century masterpiece that would be savagely scrutinized by one of Burell’s highly trained art experts who would run a slew of precision-centered tests.

  Meanwhile, I’d use this time to gather evidence on Wilder and when the time came, do what had to be done. My heart ached with the thought of it. Taking down Icon would probably mean I’d go down with him. I leaned against the wall to steady my legs.

  “Are you okay?” He looked sincere.

  “Of course.” I refused to be a chess piece moved on a whim. No, I was going to be empowered and prove my place in the art world as someone who didn’t sway when the pressure intensified. “Where would we start?”

  He held my stare. “On the roof. I’ll show you how I utilize that entry point—”

  Uneasiness washed over me. “Show me in here.”

  “Shall we have breakfast first?”

  “I’m not hungry.”

  He smiled. “Zara, your stomach’s grumbling.”

  Right on cue it grumbled again and I rubbed my stomach to tame it.

  “Jade,” Tobias snapped—making me jump. “Bring us two bowls of fruit salad and two mugs of coffee.”

  His small drone rose and headed up the ram
p and I watched the door swing open for it.

  “Ready?” Tobias broke into a cheeky grin.

  He showed me how he placed interference on surveillance cameras by using an app he’d designed on his watch; how to turn on the night-vision mechanism while wearing snazzy-looking goggles, and with the same lenses how to recognize infrared lights when abseiling into a pitch-black building.

  Half an hour into my lesson we took a break to eat and Tobias leaned back against the chrome workstation and scooped in mouthfuls of fruit salad. I sat a few feet away and finished off mine and drank my coffee, all the while memorizing in detail everything he had showed me.

  We kept going and I learned how Tobias navigated sensitized floor tiles by hooking up a suspended system so that he’d not touch the ground but could swing with full movement and grab a painting without touching the ground. There was also a knack to rolling through invisible laser beams to prevent their activation and I learned that too. The final piece of the puzzle came together to add to what I’d already learned from the Icon break-ins that I’d studied back in London.

  I’d descended into the center of the hive.

  Tobias pulled out a large chrome case and tapped it. “This contains everything I need when I’m traveling.”

  I stared at his large box of tricks waiting to be discovered.

  “Give me a second, okay.” I waved off seeing it and plopped down on a bar stool and leaned on the workstation. This had been a fascinating insight and as an art investigator these skills would take my career to the next level—I’d seen behind the curtain.

  Tobias came toward me and knelt before me, resting a hand on my knee. “It’s a lot to take in.”

  I tried to catch my breath as my head swirled with all I’d seen. Every moment that unfolded had provided me with indisputable evidence he was Icon. I’d been provided with a step-by-step process of how he pulled off his heists.

  “Jade,” he snapped, “bring water.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Want to talk about it?”

  “Not right now.”

  “I made something special for you.”

  “I just need a minute.”

  “We’ve been trapped in here for days, and I want to prove to you my inventing capabilities can be put to better use.”

  What was I doing allowing him to just lead me off like this across the room? Yet with my hand in his I walked beside him. Perhaps this was what it felt like to be in shock even if it was self-inflicted.

  “Close your eyes,” he said when we reached the back door.

  “Why?”

  “I want it to be a surprise.”

  “What is it?”

  “Zara.” Tobias smiled. “Close your eyes.”

  This was insanity, and to prove it each breath that followed was inhaled with a wary sharpness as I listened out for what was coming next. The sound of the lock of the door. A cool breeze on my face. His hand taking mine again as he led me into the garden...

  “I put this together for you.” Tobias nudged my side.

  My vision cleared as I took in the garden. The landscaping had changed from a lush green lawn to places layered with turf with a geometric layout consisting of obstacles—small ramps, tubes, a minibridge—and all of these led to small holes ready for golf balls.

  “You designed a miniature golf course?” I was stunned.

  “Do you like it?”

  “Why?” I turned to him.

  “So we can play.” He pointed to the house. “I thought we’d have some fun. I realized what was so special about this place was how I’d waste the day playing.”

  “When did you create this?”

  “Edward and I built it years ago. I found it in the storeroom. My aunt never got rid of it.”

  I squeezed my eyes shut for a beat, realizing he’d set it up while I’d been distracted in his workshop. “Do you have golf clubs?”

  “Over there.” He walked over to the edge of the garden and picked up two golf clubs.

  “Do you play regular golf?”

  “Any self-respecting businessman knows deals are done on the green.” He handed me a club. “You?”

  “No, I’ve never even played crazy golf.”

  He grinned, realizing that’s what we called it in England. “Would you like a couple of pointers?”

  We stood at the far left of the garden with Tobias standing behind me, his arms wrapped around my body to show me how to hold my club. Strong hands came over mine and I followed his lead with a long sweep of my club. My head swirled with how fast we’d come back to him wooing me. This felt annoyingly right, almost nudging out my doubt.

  “Look at the ball and imagine the line you want it to follow before you hit it.” He kissed my shoulder. “This is fun.”

  “Tobias.” My voice sounded shaky. “I’m scared.”

  He let go and walked around to face me and gripped my shoulders. “You have every right to be.”

  “What if everything goes wrong? I mean, more than it has already?” The club slipped from my grip and fell to the ground.

  He pulled me into a hug. “This was me proving my transparency. The part of me I’ve never shown to anyone. I scared you and I’m sorry.”

  My face squished against his chest. “You never felt guilty?”

  “Returning the art to the original owner who had tried and failed to get it back seemed fair. I stole from the thieves.” He pulled back to look at me. “I never thought that I’d meet someone like you, Zara. Perhaps things would have been different. Maybe I’d have not taken so many risks.”

  “I’m afraid for you.”

  “Don’t be.”

  “Promise me you’ll give this up.”

  “I have.” He tipped up my chin. “I need you to believe me.”

  Sincerity reflected in his gaze and he looked troubled as though deeply affected by all this soul-searching.

  I pointed to the house. “You have to get rid of all of that equipment.”

  “We’ll need it to get your paintings back, but afterward it all goes.”

  My gaze swept over the golf course and I marveled at how well it was built. “Did your dad help you create this?”

  He smiled. “Yes.”

  “Come on, then.” I knelt to pick up the golf club. “I’ll putt first.”

  I was close to getting through to him, I could feel it. All I needed now was to hear him say he’d find another way to locate my paintings. Perhaps we’d both come up with something better.

  My aim was way off when I hit the ball, though when it was Tobias’s turn he hit a hole in one. By the time we’d finished the first round we’d fallen into fits of laughter. My thoughts carried me back to a young Tobias hanging out with his father out here. I wondered if his mom had watched on with joy.

  “Do you ever think of how all this will end?” I watched his reaction.

  He held my gaze. “It’s hard to think about that now.”

  “Why?”

  “I’ve made the kind of choices that may never see a normal life for me.”

  My heart shuddered as I broke his gaze, not wanting to see his uncertainty.

  “You must be starving.” He tapped my arm to get my attention. “Do you want some lunch?”

  “Yes, please.” I stared down the garden again at his genius golf course and smiled at how much fun I’d had.

  “Let’s cook together.”

  “Sure.” I followed him into the kitchen.

  Within a few minutes we’d set about preparing the ingredients for salmon burgers. It was fun to watch Tobias washing the lettuce and then grilling the fish fillets on the stove as I buttered the buns and found the plates. I imagined this could once have been us all the time if circumstances were different, preparing meals and giggling at each other’s jokes and even planning a life
together.

  We settled at the granite island. I bit into my burger and moaned at how good it tasted, and Tobias burst into laughter.

  “What?” I dabbed my mouth with a napkin, assuming I was covered in sauce.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone eat like you,” he said. “You devour your food like it’s your last meal.”

  “That comes from my days growing up with a dad who got so distracted he forgot to feed me.” I recalled those days fondly even so. “I had to be an adult early on and cook for us.”

  “You grew up fast?”

  I shrugged off the memory. “After our house fire my dad changed. It was depression but I was too young to recognize it then. Anyway, I found some old cookbooks of my mom’s and learned how to cook from those. I liked seeing my dad eat a hot meal. I roasted chickens and beef, that kind of thing. Things easy to prepare. It’s not like we didn’t have the money but sometimes all we had in the house was bread and cheese.”

  “You were brave, Zara.” He licked sauce off his fingers. “I imagine you gave him so much joy.”

  “I hope so.”

  “My uncle whisked me off to France initially and then when I turned fourteen we moved to Plymouth in Massachusetts where my mom was born, and where I was born too, hoping to give me the best childhood despite my loss.”

  “Why didn’t he keep you in France?”

  “My parents asked him to take care of me if anything happened to them.” He raised his hands. “I’m sure not once for a second did they believe it would. I found myself living in the home I grew up in, surrounded by familiar rooms and belongings, and I’m grateful my uncle gave me that stability.”

  “He was a good uncle.”

  “As close to a father as you can get. He took me out fishing once. I must have been twelve. I caught this tiny mackerel. You could fit it in your palm. Anyway, I was so damn proud. He cooked that fish on the skillet and ate the whole thing right there in front of me. From the noises he made you’d have thought he was eating a meal cooked by a top chef.”

  “That’s adorable.”

  “He’s the reason why I have my head on straight.”

  “Do you miss him?”